{"product_id":"between-the-sauce-stars-and-heaven-a-memoir-of-love-loss-and-the-tables-that-raised-us-9798999016829","title":"Between The Sauce, Stars and Heaven: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the Tables That Raised Us","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBetween the Sauce, Stars and Heaven\u003c\/strong\u003e is a lushly told memoir of one family's century-long climb from a sun-baked village in southern Italy to the Sunday-scented kitchens of New Jersey-and the sky-wide promise of America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom twelve dollars sewn into a steerage coat to a panoramic front porch that became the Basenese command center, Lou Basenese Jr. traces four generations of grit, garlic, and grace. He introduces readers to: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGabriel \u0026amp; Donata-the Ellis-Island newlyweds who traded olives and poverty for factory whistles and freedom.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUncle Angelo-roguish charmer, porch pick-pocket, legend gone too soon.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLouie \u0026amp; Eva-parents who stitched faith into every meal and discipline into every heartbeat.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChristopher-a son lost to fentanyl poisoning, whose final letter still rewrites the author's soul.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlong the way Lou survives Wall-Street boardrooms, a shattering business collapse, and a twelve-minute death on a California sidewalk-revived only by the relentless CPR of his wife, Laura.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThreaded through with handwritten recipes, small-town football nights, and a near-audible chorus of Italian-American aunts, \u003cstrong\u003eBetween the Sauce, Stars and Heaven\u003c\/strong\u003e is a testament to second chances, table-wide forgiveness, and the stubborn belief that even the heaviest stories can rise-like a ladle of Sunday sauce-toward heaven.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBasenese, Lou:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Lou Basenese Jr. grew up in the one-square-mile town of Netcong, New Jersey, where Sunday sauce, church bells and front-porch storytelling shaped his DNA. The grandson of southern-Italian immigrants who landed at Ellis Island with twelve dollars and a dream, Lou learned early that faith and hard work were non-negotiable. He left those narrow streets to helm divisions of Fortune 500 companies, launch national consumer brands, and-after a near-fatal cardiac arrest that left him clinically dead for twelve minutes-re-orient his life around service and second chances.Today Lou co-owns On-Site Fleet Services of Florida, a fast-growing, woman-owned heavy-duty repair company he runs with his wife, Laura-the same woman whose relentless CPR brought him back to life. Under their stewardship On-Site has tripled revenue while proving that culture and profit can share the same toolbox.Lou writes to preserve the stories-and recipes-that held his sprawling Italian-American clan together: a rogue uncle who could lift a wallet and a heart in the same motion; parents who balanced Marine-grade discipline with basement-wine generosity; a son lost to fentanyl who still teaches the family about grace. His debut memoir, Between the Sauce, Stars and Heaven, braids those tales with board-room victories, bankruptcy-level setbacks, and the faith that carried him through both.When he isn't speaking about resilience, immigrant grit, or ethical entrepreneurship, Lou can be found simmering a 12-hour ragù, mentoring young business owners, or sharing espresso on the porch with four grandchildren who believe Nonna can fix anything-except perhaps how fast they grow. He lives in Orlando with Laura, a refrigerator full of leftovers, and a filing cabinet of half-started stories that someday may rise, like good dough, into new books.","brand":"Lou Basenese, Jr","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51453940334866,"sku":"9798999016829","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f250000a-0d04-4676-ac71-498d953d75c2.jpg?v=1751985560","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/between-the-sauce-stars-and-heaven-a-memoir-of-love-loss-and-the-tables-that-raised-us-9798999016829","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}